Does Atlanta United play better using a back four or back five?

In two of his team’s past four MLS games, Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda used a formation that included three centerbacks, instead of the two he has selected in most of the team’s 19 games this season.

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In those two games, at the New York Red Bulls and at home against Real Salt Lake, Atlanta United played two of its better games this season. The defense was organized. The build-up play from the back of the formation to the front, was on point. The team lost the game at the Red Bulls, 2-1, because of two individual errors. Those errors mostly were eliminated in the 2-1 win against RSL on Wednesday night.

Will that remain the team’s base formation for its remaining 15 games as it pushes to move above the seven-team playoff line, starting Sunday against Orlando at Mercedes-Benz Stadium?

Pineda didn’t want to commit when asked after Wednesday’s victory, which was the team’s first in its past nine matches.

“It can be, it can be the case, for sure,” he said. “... Today, I felt it was another positive performance. I told you also that it wasn’t about tactics. It was about the desire, the passion and the effort that we put as a team. So I think yes, we can be solid with a back five and very good in possession. But I’m not concerned about at times playing a back four that means also you can have more attackers at times. So I’m not too worried about the backline.”

Pineda has a point because there are negligible differences in most of the stats when comparing the team’s use of a back five with a back four. The Red Bulls and RSL combined to put seven shots on target and scored three goals. Atlanta United put 10 shots on target and scored three goals. In the two games in between, when Atlanta United used a back four, NYCFC and Austin also combined to put seven shots on target and scored five goals. Atlanta United put 12 shots on target in those two games and scored two, both against NYCFC.

For the season, Atlanta United has played with a back five three times. Opponents have averaged 3.33 shots on goal and 1.33 goals. Playing with a back four in the remaining 16 games, opponents have averaged 3.25 shots on goal and 1.6 goals.

The biggest difference in those two blocks of games is that the Red Bulls and RSL combined to create 16 chances. NYCFC and Austin combined to create 24.

For the season, opponents have averaged 9.4 chances created against the back four and 9.0 against the back five.

Allowing fewer shots on goal, fewer goals and fewer chances created, even if it’s just by decimal points, can add up and result in fewer opportunities for opponent’s score.

Centerback George Campbell said playing in a three-man platoon that included Alan Franco and Juan Jose Purata against Real Salt Lake, the formation change helped on defense as well as on offense.

“I think that it was mostly tactical to help us build out, clearly against our two strikers, but with that comes more confidence in stepping in and defending aggressively, so you know on the ball and off the ball it really helped us, but mostly we are trying to get the best of our team and playing out the back,” he said.

Against RSL, Atlanta United’s defense would drop into lines of five in front of the goal, fronted by a line of four that included Marcelino Moreno, who agreed it was “possibly” his best game on defense, Thiago Almada, Matheus Rossetto and Amar Sejdic. The quartet consistently played as a unit and moved well together, rarely allowing RSL space to split lines with passes or by dribbling without one of them applying pressure. RSL took advantage of the one of the few times the player in possession wasn’t pressured to score its goal.

Sejdic said the midfield four communicated well and clearly understood what was required when one of them would step to pressure a dribbler or when the opponent switched the point of attack from one side of the field to the other.

“I think the biggest thing was the mentality going into Wednesday’s game. We saw the defensive efforts that Marcie put in, and I think each one of us kind of inspired another to kind of keep going, keep pushing to cover each other’s backs,” Sejdic said.

On offense, Atlanta United had moments of brilliance in its build-up play on Real Salt Lake, easily moving the ball through the opponent’s lines and into positions to threaten the goal.

For the season, when using the back five the team has averaged 5.33 shots on target, 1.0 goals scored and 9.3 chances created. In the back four, the team has averaged 5.4 shots on target, 1.6 goals scored and 12.5 chances created.

Though he was required to do more on defense than when the team plays in a back four, Moreno said his role didn’t change on offense. He was asked to help the striker score goals.

On offense, playing with an extra centerback meant one less midfielder higher up the pitch. One less midfielder allowed for more space and freedom for Moreno, Almada, wingbacks Caleb Wiley and Aiden McFadden, and striker Ronald Cisneros to try to exploit.

“It certainly did,” said Wiley, who attempted two crosses and created one chance against both RSL and the Red Bulls, compared with one and zero against Austin and zero and two against NYCFC. “I think I had a lot more freedom going forward and having a lot more trust with those three great defenders in the back.”

Almada, who assisted on Cisneros’ first goal, said after the game that he’s always had the freedom to attack, but that the formation as well as RSL’s formation and tactics gave him more space in which to work. Moreno agreed with that Friday, saying “absolutely” he had more space.

Pineda said Wednesday he was glad to see the “passion, effort and desire” of the team during the game.

“I’m very pleased with everyone,” he said Friday. “ ... Everyone understood the task, the tactical adjustments we needed to do, the sacrifices they need to do in their games to help the team. And I felt that everyone did a great job on that.”

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Atlanta United’s 2022 MLS schedule

Feb. 27 Atlanta United 3, Sporting KC 1

March 5 Colorado 3, Atlanta United 0

March 13 Atlanta United 2, Charlotte 1

March 19 Atlanta United 3, Montreal 3

April 2 Atlanta United 1, D.C. United 0

April 10 Charlotte 1, Atlanta United 0

April 16 Atlanta United 0, Cincinnati 0

April 24 Miami 2, Atlanta United 1

April 30 Montreal 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 4, Chicago 1

May 15 Atlanta United 2, New England 2